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FINISHED!! The SSS monster evaded!

Submitted by TheKnittingMill on Fri, 2009-03-13 19:49

Well, here are my first completed pair of socks! They were made out of a wool 75%/nylon 25% blend. Of course I didn't save the band to remember the name of the colorway. For the life of me I couldn't match up the stripes, so after several failed attempts I said, "SCREW IT!" Does anyone have a trick for matching self striping socks? I was just happy that they were the same size. My partner loves them and says they're very handsome, comfortable and warm (that's a home run in my book). I downloaded the free pattern from www.coatsandclark.com. On to finishing the Cable Guy sweater that was supposed to be one of his birthday gifts (last November)!?!

Comments

Those look fantastic. I've only ever done one pair - big hiking wool socks. This pair is great - you did a wonderful job. If he likes them that's what matters and I kind of like the fact that they're each unique. Good luck with the cable guy sweater!

Thanks Frank! These took a while because the yarn was fingering weight and knit with size one needles, but I kept motivated remembering the advice from my fellow men-who-knitters--forge ahead before you lose steam on that second sock! I loved your wool hiking socks and I plan on knitting those for myself.

They look great! Remember that some socks are only meant to be fraternal twins. :-) Personally I think having the stripes match is far too obsessive compulsive for my tastes. You have to admit that socks are the perfectly portable knitting project.

I agree. I was really intimidated about them at first and put it off for quite some time, but they were easier than I thought and lots of fun! The tutorials on Knit Picks and You Tube helped a lot when it came to turning the heal and picking up stitches for the gusset. I loved the portability and the cost efficiency! I think I will definitely try and keep a pair going at all times in my knitting bag.

They are gorgeous! If you really study them, you realize that the striping is different, yet still they match. I also suffer from the syndrome of "What did I do with _? Oh, yeah, I threw that away a month ago."

The socks are beautiful. It always makes me happy to see a fellow knitter knit a pair of socks. Socks don't have to be exactly the same. If you start both socks at the same point, they will turn out the same. For example, start sock l at the point where the beige meets the brown. When you are ready to start sock two keep pulling out yarn until you reach the point where the beige meets the brown and start there. Congratulations and great knitting.+

The socks look great, Ron gave you the exact info I was going to offer. If you are using 2x50 grm balls, lay the yarn out next to each other from both balls, line them up like matching wallpaper start the cast on in the same place on both balls. If you are using a 100 grm ball, make a note of where you started your cast on and try to start the second one in the same spot. The neat thing about using self pattering wool is you can also do your measurements for the second sock by matching up. Having said all that I think they look great as they are, I have even knit socks out of my left overs just by laying them out in small balls that are left over from other socks. You seldom see both, never mind all of the two socks at once, and if someone is looking that close it is more than the socks they are interested in lol. Keep socking it.
Dennis

I tried to find similar color changes, but missed the boat. I thought I would finally find the matching color change and would be amiss three or four stripes down the road. I think I just didn't pull out enough yarn from my skein (my impulsivity and impatience didn't help either). The practice of laying them out next to each other first before casting on either sock is a really good one! Thanks so much for the advice and the compliments. I feel much better prepared for my next pair!

Wonderful job on the socks...they look so great that no one would ever care they weren't exactly the same...it's a design flair in my book.

I have made self-patterning socks that matched exactly, but one pair of Noro socks required two 100 gram balls because I found a knot in one ball during the second sock...which of course required me to pull out meters and meters of yarn to re-synchronize. And that happens quite a few times in my experience.

Better off just riding the horse in the direction it's going and enjoying what you get.

I like the socks and the colors. Unless I looked close, the fact they are not identical doesn't seem an issue. I am working on a pair right now that has a multi colored yarn, but not self striping, so I know they will not be identical, just similar in color. Yours really do look great, I hope mine turn out half as well.

Fabulous socks!!!!!! I never even consider trying to match up self striping yarns. I figure if they are suppose to match up the manufacturer would have made it easier to do. I can't believe those are your first pair - they look flawless.

Great looking socks! I always shoot for the "matched set" look with patterned yarns. (Both random and self-striping.) Maybe because the heel area throws off the patterning anyway. I may attempt to sort of match up the starting point on the self-striping yarn but try not to get too OCD about it. And you're right - having a pair of socks in the "go - to" bag is always a good thing. I've begun using them as my travel projects, along with simple dishcloths. (Which happen to make great gifts for your hosts, fellow travellers, etc.) --- Books, knitting, cats, fountain pens...Life is Good.

I have to laugh. Those are the EXACT same socks that I made for my first pair. I loved how they came out, to me, they are so impressive because of the pattern. And somehow I got very lucky and the pattern matched up 100%. I was shocked.

That's crazy! Isn't that a great "goto" pattern for basic socks? It's easy to follow, simple and well written. I will definitely use that pattern again! Especially now since my partner is so in love with the comfort of his hand knit socks--I guess I've created a monster!